by Jeanie | Dec 12, 2008 | Uncategorised
Dear Friend,
Last week, I shared about change coming through the breath/ Spirit of God entering into you or into the challenges you are facing.
If you search the scriptures, you’ll notice that each time the word “Spirit” or “Breath” is used; the result thereafter is always outstanding, extremely mind blowing and may sometimes seem strange but that’s change! And friend, that same change is coming to you today.
Ezekiel 37
6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”’”7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling;
God is so good (I really couldn’t think of a more suitable attribute). He is not just interested in giving you a quick fix so you can fall apart and queue again for repair. God does not want you to remain feeble; He wants you strong, and able to stand on your feet. Sinews speak of strength and stability as a matter of fact; they are a source of power because they are the connective tissues that join muscles to bones. They‘re also able to endure tension and resistance.
Can you try and picture what God is doing here? He’s saying, “It does not matter what left you unfastened and torn apart, I’ll fix it, I’m adding the connective substances to hold and steady you”. If what you’ve been waiting for is some sort of connection to advance in business, ministry or any of your endeavours…Let me hint you on what God is doing behind scenes right now, He’s hooking you up! Friend, your change is coming!
The flesh are soft tissues, they’re primarily muscles and fats which cover the bones. In effect God is saying here – “I will cover you, I don’t want you to lay bare; this structure I’m working on is too valuable to be exposed and not have protection”. The skin is an external protective covering which consists of layers that regulate body temperature, aid in respiration, and one that determines your complexion. Friend, can you see that God really cares about your comfort and wellbeing, overall? I want you to keep this in mind.
In verse 7, Ezekiel said he prophesied as he was commanded. God is no different as He has always been. If you heed and keep his commands, you will live! Here’s a word from His servant Moses:
Deuteronomy 8:1 (NIV)
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. (Emphasis mine)
Herein this verse lies God’s chief modus operandi; First, you need to obey (follow every command), and then live before you can increase, enter, and possess the land or receive the promises of the Lord to you. I pray you catch this. The Word of the Lord will not go and return void, it will bring about the necessary change if you obey; similarly, the reverse will occur if you disobey. Today, I want to encourage you to obey God, to say and to do what He has commanded you, so you can live.
Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded and there was change. All of a sudden, bones that lay dormant in the dull valley began to make noise and even rattle. As you obey the command of the Lord today, I declare that you will experience change in your surroundings and that situation that seems unchanging will begin to shake. Your days of lying dormant are over. Clap your hands and give God Praise! Hallelujah!
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by Jeanie | Dec 3, 2008 | Uncategorised
Ezekiel 37
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
Some indicators that one’s airway passage is obstructed includes the inability of the person to speak, them grasping or pointing toward their throat, difficult breathing and perhaps a skin color change.
You will agree with me that the situation Ezekiel describes in this chapter is much more complex – many dry bones……… in an open valley; but prior to this verse He answered a question God asked him. So before we carry on, I want you think about that condition that has left you speechless and wheezy; I’m talking about those areas in your life that you keep grasping and
pointing at, think about those times you were glowing, what changed your skin tone? What has made you pale? Do you want change? Would you like to live again?
The breath of God is the essence of God. It was this same breath that gave life to the lifeless man God had formed out of the dust of the ground… Breath. This is how Moses records it in Genesis:
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The account in Ezekiel 37 is similar to that of Genesis 2. In our main text in Ezekiel, God sees these very dry bones lying in the open valley and He tells His servant that He would breathe life into them so that they would live. God said that this breath He is about to breathe will not lie on the surface but it will enter you, in other words, make a way into; it will penetrate regardless of how congested or dense your situation seems. This breath will enter you and that life that it gives you within, you will live out!
What I really love and find encouraging in this verse is that God even before He began His message put a warranty on it. In essence He said, “I know that things still look dry and you’re almost convinced that they will remain the same, i.e. Unchanged, but don’t lack faith; don’t be hesitant to believe what I’m about to do. I promise you that that My breath will definitely enter you and I guarantee that it will make you live!”
Let me encourage you friend, God knows your condition and His breath is coming into every inert thing in your life to revive it; that mess you’re in will turn to a message, your test will now become a testimony, change is coming and you will live! Open up your mouth and declare this with me “I will live”!
Job 33:4
God’s Spirit has made me. The breath of the Almighty gives me life.
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by Jeanie | Nov 28, 2008 | Uncategorised
Dear Friend,
I am so glad to be able to reach you with this word of hope that will transform your life. Whatever you do in the coming weeks, I want you to make time to read this Ezekiel 37 series; I know it will encourage you.
Let’s get started. I’ve learnt that the experiences and situations we go through ultimately bring about the results we imagine. How do you perceive your current situation? As dry bones or living beings?
Ezekiel 37(KJV)
1 The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.
The hand of the Lord is powerful. This hand touched a blind man and he received his sight. In these hands lie blessings and curses, mercy and judgment. The Psalmist said it does ‘valiantly’. This hand is capable of any and everything; As little as my hands seem, many times, I am amazed at the things they can do. I know they look like God’s but I think He’s are grand! I say this because Ezekiel could have been on a mountain or even a plain until that moment the hand of the Lord took him and of all places took him to the valley of dry bones. Friend, it doesn’t really matter where you are or how you got there, I want you to know that God’s hand can reach you.
Isaiah 59:1a (NASB)
Behold the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save.
2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
Ezekiel said that God caused him to pass by them on all sides. Sometimes there are situations 
you observe from afar but you’re not in the midst of it yourself, like being among dry bones but not dry yourself. Have you ever been there.
I declare that you will not become dry, God will send rain in due season to refresh you, you will experience the blessings of the Lord, where there’s been lack I speak abundance and darkness – light. You will not grope in the dark even if you’re around folks who are; God will give you insight on how you can improve your situation. Maybe , what you are going through is such that you’ve termed “very many – very dry”, Friend, I want you to know that it isn’t too many or much that God can’t handle neither is it so dry or dead that God can’t make it green or alive again.
Romans 8: 28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose for them.
Psalm 34(NKJV)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”
You may ask, is this a trick question? God is Omniscient; He knows all things including my answer; so why would He ask me questions? Friend, God will not take any glory in asking you a trick question you can’t answer. God asks questions to prod you to think and sometimes to establish a basis for what He’s about to teach you. Answers are products of our imagination, what we think, basically the things on our minds. Our imaginations often spring from the things we know – information and there are many sources of information.
Many times, our answers are designed to take us into our next level. In any level of education, before you are moved up a grade, you are required to sit down and answer some questions – we call them exams. For every question, there is a right answer and God help you if you don’t answer them correctly. You fail; and at times are given the chance to retake or remain where you are; sometimes you’re awarded a mark for giving a logical answer. If you were to answer this same question God asked Ezekiel, will the basis of your answer be faith, fear or ignorance? How have you been answering the questions God has been asking you lately? Ezekiel answered correctly and as a result was released to prophesy; if he hadn’t , would God have moved on with the programme? Selah!
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Everything God has made responds to words. God said to Ezekiel, speak to the dry bones, and tell them to hear the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord is the word of faith.
Romans 10:8b (KJV)
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
The Word of the Lord is like fire; and as a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, it is sharp, it is powerful, it’s like a two-edged sword, it can cut. The word of the Lord is truth and stands against every lie there is. So watch what you say especially when you’re going through. Make it a habit to regularly speak the word of faith – that word you’ve heard from the Lord.
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by Jeanie | Nov 11, 2008 | Uncategorised
Luke 7 (NLT)
11 Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him.
12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”
15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16a Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God.
A cry is an expressive response to distress or discomfort. For this woman, her distress was not only that she is going be left alone but that her only son who would have grown to protect and provide for her has just gone. He was the reason she has been able to carry on after the death of her husband; He was her pride, her joy, her hope; in fact, her everything. The prayers of most parents are for their children to live to bury them not otherwise and this woman probably prayed this prayer but it seems that her prayer was unanswered and the bearers are now ready to carry her dead son to the sepulchre.
The pain of separation consumes the widow from within; Thoughts of how she’d be treated by the other women in town rings
through her mind. No husband, No son, no one to call her own, “Can I bear this all alone?” she thinks? To make matters worse, she perceives the aroma of his favourite meal being prepared by the mourning women and she contemplates waking him to eat but realizes she cannot because he’s dead. Immediately, tears begin to fall from her eyes but suddenly and amazingly she hears a voice whisper tenderly in her ears “Don’t Cry”.
Jesus arrived at this town called Nain which in the Greek is translated “Beauty, Pleasant” and in the Hebrew “Abode, Habitation” but at that time something unpleasant had just happened and a solemn removal was also taking place. Did you catch it? The boy had died in a pleasant place and is being carried away from where his habitation was supposed to be.
I told you a few weeks ago that a gate serves as a demarcation between two areas; a gate will either lock you in or shut you out and I keep wondering what would have happened had the bearers gone a far distance beyond the gate but thank God, Jesus came right on time!. He was right there at the gate, he wasn’t late. Friend, no matter what your circumstance is I want you to know that Jesus is at the gate, he won’t arrive late. Even if it seems He’s late and your stuff’s gone beyond the gate even down to the grave, Jesus will get there, resuscitate it and raise it. Shout Amen if you believe it. He did it for Lazarus, He can and will do it for you!
The scripture tells us that a large crowd was with this woman but will you agree with me that Jesus came just for her. It doesn’t matter how many folks are flocking with you, I want to let you know that Jesus can still spot you in the midst of a crowd and as a matter of fact, He has. As we read further on, verse 13 records that Jesus’ heart overflowed with compassion. Aren’t you pleased to know you have a compassionate God? He is not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, He knows all our affairs, He cares and He is always near to wipe away any tears. Amen.
Afterwards, Jesus walked over to the coffin, touched it, and the bearers stopped. Did you see that? Friend, I don’t need to know who’s about to make away with your stuff but I want you to know that they will Stop! They cannot continue to cause you aggravation or pain, they must cease. Your sickness will stop, those creditors will cease to harass you, that trouble will discontinue in Jesus Name!
In Luke 8, there is an account of a woman who had a persisting problem, an issue of blood, until she made contact with Jesus. The scripture says “Immediately her issue of blood stanched” it stopped! I command every “Issue” in your life to Stop, Right Now!
So, Jesus raised the boy. He who was dead sat up. God has a way of causing dead things not only to live but to have being, Acts 17:28. God will revive every dead thing in your life, they will sit up, they will become active and they will talk: they will have an expression, make a sound, call for the attention of many and bring glory to His name. If I were you, I’d take a quick break just to Praise God for that…. Hallelujah!
After the boy talked, Jesus gave him back to his mother; this signifies complete restoration. God will hand back to you what originally has been or is rightfully yours. Never mind who snatched it off you or what they did along the way, the good news is that it’s coming back to you. Praise the Lord!
Related Journal:
Cry out!
by Jeanie | Oct 25, 2008 | Uncategorised
Exodus 32(KJV)
26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Last week, I shared with you, an attitude or if you like a posture we ought to assume when it seems like we are encountering delay. Today, I’m taking it little bit further and we’ll learn what it means to be on the Lord’s side.
When we hear the phrase ‘Taking Sides’, we of course would consider the fact that there is more than one side and then we’d go on to think of words like adversary, opponent, antagonist, controversy, dispute, argument and perhaps terms like complainant and defendant. When one is taking sides, they are supporting a group against another, they are positioned on one side in conflict with the other and they have an agenda and opinion that cannot concur with opposite sides.
Throughout scripture, you’ll see men and women assert their position; you’ll hear Joshua say “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”, and Ruth “Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God”; you’ll even come across Jesus saying to His disciples “Let’s go over to the other side”.
In the text above, Israel, God’s chosen people had just committed idolatry and Moses, just coming down from the mountain poses this question to them “Who is on the Lord’s side?” and the same time tells them how to respond “let him come unto me”.
It’s amazing how the scripture records that Moses stood at the gate of the camp whilst asking this question. We know that one of the functions of a gate is to make a demarcation between two areas; Moses was in other words saying, Folks; your action will prove your conviction; if you come to me then I’ll know you are on the Lord’s side. Can you see the correlation between this and James’ writing?
James 2
- What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
- So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
If you read the rest of Exodus 32, you’ll notice that everyone who didn’t cross over to Moses was slain, they died. Death, whether physical or spiritual is the result you get if you are not on the Lord’s side ; you start living a half-life, a life of gradual decay; you keep losing energy until you have none left. But a person on the Lord’s side Lives – They live by faith! They hear the word, believe in it, they talk it, walk it and act upon it; that’s why they make it through.
I want to encourage you to act like the Levites today, separate yourself from the crowd, cross over and slay anything that does not agree with what you do. Believe God, when He says It (whatever you are believing Him for) will happen; be it your healing, finances, relationship, marriage, fruit of the womb, long life, whatever it is. Put some attitude to your belief, lift your prophetic finger, point towards whichever direction you need to, make your position clear and speak! I’m crossing over, play time is over, I’ll quit saying “I can’t afford this” I’ll start saying “my needs are met according to God’s riches in glory”
I know someone reading this is scared they’ll die soon – No, you won’t! If you believe God’s word that says through Him your days will be many and years will be added to your life. Maybe your fear is not surviving this credit crunch – God delights in the prosperity of his servants and whatever God delights in, he brings to pass – you will not go under! You’ll cross over! Over to the winning side, over to the Living side – The Lord’s side.
More on this series:
Who is on the Lord’s side? 1
by Jeanie | Oct 16, 2008 | Uncategorised
Hello Friend,
This will not be long as I did not plan to do it but I believe that this will encourage you.
Exodus 32
26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, who is on the LORD’s side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
From the text, we know that it was around the time that Moses went to the mount to fellowship with the Lord but because he delayed in coming down, the children of Israel gathered around Aaron and convinced him to make them gods to lead them. Are you puzzled? I am too however, let’s continue.
Delay, delay, delay. This is only a five-lettered word but its effect cannot till date be numbered.
So what is delay? I love the definition that says it is an inactivity, which results in something being deferred until a later date. It doesn’t say that it is stopped or brought to an end. Whenever there’s inactivity, it is supposed to be a time of rest, a time of refreshing, a time of peace. God spoke to his people through his prophet Jahaziel in 2 Chronicles 20:17 – “You won’t fight this battle. [Instead,] take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD for you, Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be frightened or terrified. Tomorrow go out to face them. The LORD is with you.” In other words, relax; I’ll take care of this one.
A person who’s on the Lord side knows this truth and if you develop this attitude towards delay, you will not be anxious another day of your life. You’ve heard the saying delay does not mean denial and it is true. Here’s another word of encouragement from God’s prophet, Habakkuk.
Habakkuk 2:3
The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late.
I want you to begin to encourage yourself with this word; say, my vision will happen, certainly, assuredly, definitely, it will happen. Friend, if it’s money especially in this season that we live in– just release your faith through the words you speak – it will happen. Is it a job? Is it your child (ren)? A family member? Whatever it is that you need, just confess that it will happen. It’s only delayed, not terminated. In fact, take a leap of faith and declare it done!
If you read the rest of the chapter and the next, you will notice that eventually, Moses came down. Do you feel like what you are believing God for is far up in the horizon, too distant for your reach; don’t worry, it will come down! Come on; let’s say it together IT WILL COME DOWN, IT WILL HAPPEN!
More on this series:
Who is on the Lord’s side? 1
